Mastercam X8 - WhatsNew

8/9/2019 Mastercam X8 - WhatsNew

1/58

What’s New inMastercam X8July 2014


2/58

Mastercam® X8 What’s New

Date: July 2014

Copyright © 2014 CNC Software, Inc.— All rights reserved.

Software: Mastercam X8

TERMS OF USE Use of this document is subject to the Mastercam End User License Agreement. Acopy of the Mastercam End User License Agreement is included with the

Mastercam product package of which this document is part. The Mastercam End

User License Agreement can also be found at:

http://www.mastercam.com/companyinfo/legal/LicenseAgreement.aspx

Be sure youhave the latest

information!

Information might have been changed or added since this document waspublished. The latest version of this document is installed with Mastercam or can

be obtained from your local Reseller. A ReadMe file (ReadMe.pdf)—installed

with each release—includes the latest information about Mastercam features and

enhancements.

http://www.mastercam.com/companyinfo/legal/LicenseAgreement.aspxhttp://www.mastercam.com/companyinfo/legal/LicenseAgreement.aspx


3/58

iii

Contents

Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Mastercam Documentation ........................................................................ 1

Contact Us ...................................................................................................... 1

Mastercam Resources ................................................................................. 1

System Enhancements.................................................................................. 3

Graphics Upgrades ....................................................................................... 3

New Customize Interface ............................................................................. 3

Mastercam Simulator Improvements ......................................................... 4

Viewports........................................................................................................ 4

Part Sectioning ............................................................................................... 5Drill Cycle Handling ......................................................................................... 7

Workpiece Tolerance...................................................................................... 8

Exporting Support Data .................................................................................. 9

Additional Simulator Improvements............................................................... 9

Code Expert Editor Improvements ............................................................ 10

Multi-Stream Navigation .............................................................................. 10

NC Configuration Enhancements ................................................................. 10New Find Extents Functionality .................................................................... 10

Additional Enhancements............................................................................. 10

Plane Improvements ................................................................................... 10

System Configuration Enhancements....................................................... 13

File Management Improvements .............................................................. 14

Graphics Interaction Improvements.......................................................... 14

File Translators ............................................................................................ 15 Migration Wizard ........................................................................................ 16


4/58


5/58

v

Tilt Away to Avoid Collision .......................................................................... 32

Multiaxis Milling.......................................................................................... 34

Multiaxis Roughing ....................................................................................... 34Safety Zone Improvements .......................................................................... 34

Tool Inspection ............................................................................................. 35

Additional Improvements ............................................................................. 36

Mill Tooling .................................................................................................. 36

Tool Creation and Editing.............................................................................. 36

Edit Holder .................................................................................................... 37

Edit Assembly Names .................................................................................. 38Calculate Feeds and Speeds ........................................................................ 40

Standalone Tool Manager ............................................................................ 41

Productivity+ Enhancements ................................................................... 41

Lathe Enhancements .................................................................................... 43

Lathe Stock Model Support ....................................................................... 43

New Contour Roughing Toolpath .............................................................. 44 Additional Improvements ........................................................................... 44

Mill-Turn Enhancements ............................................................................ 45

Level 1 Now Available ................................................................................ 45

Reference Positions .................................................................................... 45

Wibu Licensing ........................................................................................... 46

Job Setup Enhancements .......................................................................... 46

Tool Loading Enhancements ...................................................................... 48

Sync Manager Enhancements................................................................... 48

Machine Property Changes ....................................................................... 49

Additional Enhancements .......................................................................... 49


6/58

vi


7/58

Introduction

Welcome to Mastercam X8! Mastercam X8 features new products and new function-

ality focused on delivering speed and efficiency for your machining jobs. We are sure

that you will benefit from what Mastercam X8 has to offer you and your shop.

Mastercam DocumentationMastercam installs the following documents in the \Documentation folder of your

Mastercam installation:

What’s New in Mastercam X8

Mastercam X8 Installation Guide

Mastercam X8 Administrator Guide

Mastercam X8 Transition Guide

Mastercam X8 Quick Reference Card

Mastercam X8 Post Debugger User’s Guide

Getting Started with Renishaw Productivity+™

Mastercam X8 ReadMe

Contact UsFor questions about this or other Mastercam documentation, contact the Technical

Documentation department by email at [email protected].

Mastercam ResourcesEnhance your Mastercam experience by using the following resources:

Mastercam Help —Access Mastercam Help by selecting Help, Contents from

Mastercam’s menu bar or by pressing [Alt+H] on your keyboard.Also, most

dialog boxes and ribbon bars feature a Help button that opens Mastercam

Help directly to related information.

Mastercam Reseller —Your local Mastercam Reseller can help with most

questions about Mastercam.

Technical Support —CNC Software’s Technical Support department (860-875-

5006 or [email protected]) is open Monday through Friday from 8:00

a.m. to 5:30 p.m. USA Eastern Standard Time.

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


8/58

2 MASTERCAM X8/ Introduction

Mastercam University —CNC Software sponsors Mastercam University, an

affordable online learning platform that gives you 24/7 access to Mastercam

training materials. Take advantage of more than 180 videos to master your

skills at your own pace and help prepare yourself for Mastercam Certification.

For more information on Mastercam University, please contact yourAuthorized Mastercam Reseller, visit www.mastercamu.com, or email

[email protected].

Online communities — You can find a wealth of information, including many

videos, at www.mastercam.com.

For tech tips and the latest Mastercam news, you can join us on Facebook

(www.facebook.com/mastercam), follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/

mastercam), and subscribe to our blog, Mastercam Xtras (http://

blog.mastercam.com). Visit our YouTube channel to see Mastercam in action(www.youtube.com/user/MastercamCadCam)!

Registered users can search for information or ask questions on the

Mastercam Web forum, forum.mastercam.com, or use the knowledge base at

kb.mastercam.com. To register, select Help, Link on Mastercam.com from

the Mastercam menu and follow the instructions.

http://www.mastercamu.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.mastercam.com/http://www.facebook.com/mastercamhttp://www.twitter.com/mastercamhttp://www.twitter.com/mastercamhttp://blog.mastercam.com/http://blog.mastercam.com/http://www.youtube.com/user/MastercamCadCamhttp://forum.mastercam.com/http://kb.mastercam.com/http://www.mastercam.com/http://www.twitter.com/mastercamhttp://www.youtube.com/user/MastercamCadCamhttp://www.facebook.com/mastercamhttp://www.mastercamu.com/http://blog.mastercam.com/http://kb.mastercam.com/http://forum.mastercam.com/http://www.youtube.com/user/MastercamCadCamhttp://blog.mastercam.com/http://blog.mastercam.com/http://www.twitter.com/mastercamhttp://www.twitter.com/mastercamhttp://www.facebook.com/mastercamhttp://www.mastercam.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.mastercamu.com/


9/58

System Enhancements

Graphics UpgradesThe graphics display in Mastercam X8 has been upgraded to provide cleaner

aesthetics, along with clearer and more responsive selection while delivering a much

improved overall look and feel. These improvements include:

Enhanced model rendering with sharp edges and optimal lighting.

New highlighting methods for model and chain selection make selection

faster, clearer, and easier.

New default gradient background and background colors.

New modern color palette for toolpaths, wireframe geometry, surfaces, solids,

etc.

Individual color settings for solids, surfaces, and wireframe geometry.

New Solid edge color setting.

New Surface edge color setting.

New Customize InterfaceMastercam X8 uses workspace files to customize your Mastercam look and feel. Work-

space files combine key mapping, toolbar states, screen size and location, right-click

menu settings, and other interface options. Choose Settings, Customize to experi-

ence this improved look and feel.


10/58

4 MASTERCAM X8/ System Enhancements

NOTE: Right-click menu and key mapping information can be imported

from X7 to X8, but toolbar information cannot be imported..

Mastercam Simulator Improvements

ViewportsA new View ribbon bar has been added for both Backplot and Verify. The ribbon bar

contains some items from the Home page (Show and 3D View) and adds two new

sections called Window and Viewports. The Viewport tools are a new feature to both

Backplot and Verify that split the graphics window into one of four configurations.

Each viewport offers separate view orientation and control. Right-click options only

work in the current view (outlined with a red border). Visibility options affect all view-

ports (workpiece display, tool display, etc.). The Restore default view option resets


11/58

MASTERCAM SIMULATOR IMPROVEMENTS 5

the configuration back to the original size. You can save the viewport configuration to

your default settings by choosing Home, Save to Defaults.

Part SectioningThe view sectioning tool on the Verify ribbon bar has been expanded to add three

additional plane orientations. In an improvement targeted toward Mill users, when the

planes are initially displayed, they are oriented around the center of gravity of your

part. Even if your part is not near the system origin, it will still section efficiently.


12/58


Selecting one of the ¾ view orientations displays two shaded planes - these clipping

planes can be moved by left-click/hold and dragging the cursor to a new location.


13/58

MASTERCAM SIMULATOR IMPROVEMENTS 7

You can also use just one clipping plane at a time to create the part view you need.

Drill Cycle HandlingDrill cycles in both Backplot and Verify now respect the settings in the parameter

pages, so you see the tool moving in and out as defined. This applies to all cycles for

Mill and Lathe.


14/58


Workpiece ToleranceThe Backplot/Verify Options dialog box includes a new Workpiece tolerance option.

Targeted towards users with very small parts, it gives you better control over the work-

piece quality. The Verify/Compare feature provides better results, since you can nowmatch the tolerance between the part and the workpiece.


15/58


16/58


Code Expert Editor Improvements

Multi-Stream Navigation

The editor in Mastercam Code Expert now properly supports the display of anynumber of streams. The editor uses the stream definition in NC Configuration and the

starting and ending characters for each stream to determine if single or multiple files

are required. You can toggle the display of each stream on and off in a new Navigation

pane. Sync codes are now graphically linked between visible streams, and the Navi-

gator shows which streams contain associated sync points when you hover over the

code.

NC Configuration EnhancementsNC Configuration allows you to tailor Code Expert display for NC files by defining the

number of streams, file extensions, sync characters, tool callouts, comments, and other

features for individual machine output.

You can access the new interface for creating and modifying the NC Configurations in

the Application Options dialog box and directly using the NC Document ribbon bar.

Default NC Configurations are provided for several machine and control types,

providing easy starting points for user customization.

New Find Extents FunctionalityNC File document types now include an Extents pane which lists the extents for

address characters in the NC file. The address characters are easily defined for reuse in

the NC Configuration and can be customized in each NC document type. Double-

clicking on an extent moves the cursor in the NC document to the location where the

value appears.

Additional Enhancements Fonts and Colors are now fully customizable for each document type.

Go To Bookmark functionality added, which allows you to add a bookmark

to a document and easily return to that bookmark as desired.

Plane ImprovementsThroughout Mastercam X8, the term “view” has been replaced with the term “plane”

(except for graphics views). A Mastercam Plane contains a view and an origin, and a


17/58


18/58


New options are also available in the right-click menu of this dialog box.

Planes are marked “dirty” if their regeneration fails. Any toolpaths that use

that plane will also be marked dirty.

You cannot make changes to the default planes. You also cannot delete a

plane that fits any of the following criteria:

Plane is locked.

Plane is being used as the active Tplane, Cplane, WCS, or Gview.

Plane is used in a machine group.

Plane names are no longer limited to 40 characters.

Selecting geometry to define a plane will always offer eight possible plane

options. The WCS, Tplane, and Cplane names have been moved to the status bar to

provide a cleaner drawing space. When you hover over the status bar area, a


19/58

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION ENHANCEMENTS 13

tooltip displays containing extended plane information. The Gview (if defined)

remains on the screen.

Automatic work offset assignment has been improved, with better

performance and handling of conflicting assignments. In addition, the Work

offset already used warning can now be turned off.

System Configuration Enhancements The Large Buttons setting has been moved from Configuration to

Customize.

Multiple viewport support and GDI graphics support options have been

removed.

The Toolbars and Keymap startup settings have been replaced by aWorkspace startup setting.


20/58


Complicated lighting settings have been replaced with a new Lighting mode

setting. The session-only Shading Settings command and dialog have also

been removed.

“Mastercam” communication functionality has been removed. CIMCO 7 is

now the default and only distributed option.

File Management ImprovementsYou can now open all supported file types by dragging files from Windows Explorer or

your desktop and dropping them onto the graphics area of an open Mastercam

session. You can also drag and drop a file onto the Desktop shortcut to open a new

session of Mastercam.

In addition, uppercase and lowercase characters are now supported for file names, file

extensions, plane names, etc. and are no longer forced to all uppercase.

Graphics Interaction Improvements The 3D Gnomon has been modified and is used as the primary control in the

new Move function along with Dynamic Xform and Dynamic Planes. When


21/58

FILE TRANSLATORS 15

using the linear or rotate options, an editable field displays the current values

and allows you to directly input values.

Pressing [Spacebar] now repeats the last command when in an idle state.

The middle mouse button modifier key to toggle panning and spinning hasbeen changed from [Alt] to [Shift].

The key used to dynamically rotate about the screen normal has been

changed from [Shift] to [Ctrl].

Holding down the X, Y, or Z key during dynamic rotation now locks the

respective axis. This requires the Use 'Free' mode in Dynamic Spin option to

be on.

Toolpaths now remain visible during dynamic rotation.

File Translators File importers which import solids will now name the solid to match the file

name.

Catia V5 - added support for V5 R23.

Unigraphics - added import support for NX9.

Parasolids - added support for V26.

Use the axis rotation handle to

rotate in multiple planes. AutoCursor and the 2D/3D

switch affect this method.

Use the midpoint rotation

handle to rotate about the

opposite axis in relative

degrees in the current

plane.

Use the origin handle to move

the entire gnomon in its current

orientation to a new XYZ

location.

Use the plane handle to orient

the XY plane.

Use the linear axis handle tomove along the selected axis.

Click to switch

between moving

geometry and

manipulating axes.


22/58


Migration Wizard Mastercam's Update Folder and Migration Utility features have been combined into

a new Migration Wizard. You can access this new feature by choosing File, Migration

Wizard.The Migration Wizard offers a Basic mode and an Advanced mode. The Basic mode

will automatically update all Mastercam file types of the previous version (for example,

Mastercam X7) from a given location, while the Advanced mode provides additional

control over file types and previous versions to migrate.

The file update process has also been improved to provide a seamless, more efficient

experience. Migration results are now displayed in the Mastercam Event Log as well.


23/58

Design Enhancements

New Solids Workflow The solids interface and workflow has been completely redone for Mastercam X8 and

makes constructing and editing Solids a lot easier and more intuitive then it's ever

been. Every existing Solids function has been updated to reflect this new workflow.

New InterfaceAll solids functions have been given a new

modern interface that allows you to work inthe interface and on the screen as needed.

Live PreviewWith the live preview, you will now see the

results of changes made in the interface as

you work - no more entering values into a

dialog box and then clicking OK hoping you

didn't make a mistake.

OK/NewWhile creating a new operation, you have the

option of clicking OK to finish the operation

and exit the function, or clicking OK/New

which will finish the operation and start a

new one without forcing you to restart the

function manually.

OK/RegenPrior to this enhancement, any changes

made to an existing operation required you

to click the Regen button at the top of the

Solids Manager. In X8, we added an OK/

Regen button that exits the function and

regenerates the solid at the same time.


24/58

18 MASTERCAM X8/ Design Enhancements

Improved SelectionBy putting the solid selection filters in a new dialog that pops up at the start of an

operation, it's easier to set them up as you are working.

Holding the [Shift] key down while selecting an edge selects all tangent edges at thesame time, and holding [Shift] while selecting a face will select all tangent faces at the

same time. Wireframe, faces, edges, and bodies can be edited inside of the dialog

itself. This eliminates the need for a separate branch in the Solid tree and makes

adding and removing items much easier.

Hands-on Drag ControlsThe single-axis arrow is used in various functions in X8 Solids and can be used to set

distances on the screen without having to enter them manually in the dialog. Thisincludes the ability to type in values on the fly when those controls are in use. The new

Push/Pull functionality relies on it (see page 19 for more information), and it supple-

ments the new interface of Extrude, Sweep, Revolve, Thicken, and Shell.

Non-interrupting Error MessagesWith the new Live preview capability, most error messages have been made so they

don't interrupt the workflow. A warning text box displays in the upper right corner of

the screen to show that the solid in its current state of editing has an error. The

message may just be a warning or may be more informative. This allows you to make

Click on the arrow to move

geometry from its initial

position.

The text field dynamically

updates as you move the

arrow. You can also type in a

value.

The red shaded area shows

how far you moved from the

reference point.

The reference point is initially located at the

end of the arrow and remains in the same

position when you move the arrow. Use

the AutoCursor to move the reference

point.


25/58

SOLID DIRECT EDITING 19

changes to eliminate this error state without having to stop what you are doing and

dismiss a pop-up dialog.

History TreeIn earlier releases of Mastercam Solids, the creation and editing of operations had

different rules and workflows. Now editing and creating operations is approached in

the same manner, which simplifies the Solid History and reduces each operation to a

single branch instead of three branches. In X8, all you need to do is double-click on an

operation to open it for editing.

Solid Direct EditingIn X7, we began to work in the area of direct editing solid bodies. Many users import

solids from other systems and have no easy way to prepare these models formachining. In X8, we have greatly expanded these capabilities to make the process of

model preparation easier. All of these options have been placed under a new Model

Prep menu.

NOTE: All of our direct editing functions remove the solid history. Undo

restores the history as it was before the direct editing function.

Push/PullUse it to offset faces or push edges into fillets.

MoveThe Move function works with faces and allows you to translate or rotate them on

your solid body. It can be used to move or copy faces or even just to add draft.

SplitThe Split function in X8 splits a solid face into multiple faces to be used with Move or

Push/Pull. Split supports two methods: Wireframe and Flowline. The Wireframe

method projects wireframe geometry onto a face to form new edges and faces. The

Flowline or UV method splits a face along its UV flowlines.

Simplify

Simplify was introduced in X7 but has been improved in X8. This function simplifies abody and combines faces on a case-by-case basis by selecting faces or edges.


26/58


Smart Chains in SolidsThis enhancement automatically reconnects wireframe chains that have been edited

so you don't have to re-chain them. The classic example of the smart chain enhance-

ment is seen when you extrude a rectangle, then go back and fillet a corner. Inprevious versions, you would have to re-chain the wireframe; in X8, you just have to

regenerate the operation. This enhancement affects Extrude, Revolve, and Sweep

operations.

Primitives Default to SolidsOn systems with Solids enabled, all primitives will default to solids instead of surfaces.

If you manually switch to surfaces, then the change will remain modal for the session.

Solid Edge AwarenessBack in X6, we introduced the ability to use solid edges for trimming wireframe enti-

ties to solid edges and to find theoretical intersections between solid edges in space.

Both changes were aimed at eliminating the need to create wireframe as a reference

entity where a solid edge already exists.

For X8, we have taken this much further and adapted the idea of Solid Edge Aware-

ness throughout wireframe modeling. Our goal for X8 is to allow solid edges to be

used as reference entities and eliminate the need to create temporary geometry.

In case you want to ignore a solid edge and force a function to pick wireframe instead,

we tied Solid Edge Awareness to the Edge filter on the General Selection bar. If you are

in a function that supports Solid Edge Awareness, the Edge filter will be available and

can be used to recognize or ignore solid edges for that function.

The following images show the three states the General Selection bar will use to indi-

cate if a function is Solid Edge aware and if it is currently active or not.

This is how the General Selection bar looks if Solid Edges are not supported in the

current function:

This is how the General Selection bar looks if Solid Edges are supported, but not

enabled for the current function (note the solids icons):


27/58


28/58


Segment

Line Parallel

Closest

Bisect

Perpendicular

Tangent through a point

Arcs and Circles Circle Center Point - for tangency conditions

Arc Polar - for tangency conditions

Circle Edge Point

Arc Endpoints

Arc 3 points - tangency conditions

Arc Tangent - 1 entity

Arc Tangent - point

Arc Tangent - Center Line

Arc Tangent - Dynamic Tangency

Arc Tangent - 3 Entities

Arc Tangent - 2 Entities

Analyze Angle

Distance

Dynamic

Properties


29/58

SURFACE MODELING IMPROVEMENTS 23

Surface Modeling Improvements

Change Normal

This function supports the new color display of the non-normal side of the surface inshading. The display updates as you select surfaces to flip.

Set NormalThe Set Normal function now displays a selectable arrow for flipping individual

surfaces. This function supports the new color display of the non-normal side of the

surface in shading.

Orient NormalsThis new function positions the normals of neighboring surfaces to one another. Once

you set the initial position, you can flip the results and display arrows that show thedirection. You can also manually select any of the arrows or surfaces to flip individual

surfaces. Like the other Edit functions, Orient Normals supports the new color display

of the non-normal side of the surface in shading.

Surface to Surface and Surface to Plane Auto AnalyzeIn X8, the Fillet Surface to Surface and Surface to Plane functions display a Maximum

Recommended Radius. Once you select the surfaces, Mastercam analyzes them and

displays a maximum recommended radius that can be successfully created.


30/58



31/58

Mill Enhancements

2D Milling

2D HST Improvements 2D HST now supports multi-core processing on toolpaths with multiple

machining regions.

Consolidated Dynamic Area, Core, and Rest toolpaths down to one single

Dynamic Mill toolpath. Also consolidated Area, Core, and Rest Mill toolpathsdown to one single Area Mill toolpath.

2D HST Dynamic Mill includes first pass feed reduction and offset on the Cut

Parameters page. This reduces the feed rate for the first pass of a dynamic mill

toolpath entering stock from outside. It also expands the machining region to

ensure the tool does not engage a lot of material on the very first pass due to

an unknown exact block size.

X7 X8


32/58

26 MASTERCAM X8/ Mill Enhancements

Region Chaining Removed single region chain support to provide more toolpath control.

X7 X8


33/58

2D MILLING 27

New Air Region chains define safe air the tool can move within via closed

chains.

Open Air Region chain support defines an open side of a closed machiningregion or closes an open machining region chain.

Air region

Machining

region

Tool can start

in air region.

Open air region

Open

machining region


34/58


New Containment chains constrain machining region motion.

Air region

Machining

region

Containment region


35/58

2D MILLING 29

Job setup stock shape support used when no machining region is selected or

open machining region chains are selected. Open machining region chains

are extended to block tangent edges or shortest distance.

When no stock is defined and no open air is defined, open machining chains

are closed with a straight line.

Stock

Open

machining

region


36/58


2D Contour EnhancementsYou can now adjust feeds and speeds on the Multi Passes page, making it easier to

control your tool motion. In addition, Mastercam X8 adds corner rounding support in

Ramp and Oscillate modes.


37/58

3D MILLING 31

3D Milling

Z Stepdowns

3D high speed toolpaths based on Z-level cuts now process Z stepdowns acrossmultiple cores.


38/58


3D HST Project Depth CutsMastercam X8 includes new support on Cut Parameters page for multiple depth cuts.

The Order by depth checkbox controls the cut order by depth or by input entity.

Tilt Away to Avoid CollisionThese new options in 3D HST finishing toolpaths provide an easy-to-use introduction

to 5-axis technology. Additional options on the Holder page use tilting to avoid shank

and holder collisions during multiaxis motion. This toolpath requires a spherical tool.


39/58

3D MILLING 33

NOTE: These options require a Mastercam Multiaxis license.


40/58


Multiaxis Milling

Multiaxis Roughing

Multiaxis Roughing is a new strategy added for X8. It allows the easy creation of pock-eting toolpaths to rough out pockets that have a curved floor surface. It supports

offset or Dynamic style strategies, and multiple depth floors.

Safety Zone Improvements

Improvements to the Safety Zone feature in multiaxis toolpaths makes defining andediting the safety zone much easier. On the dialog box, seeing a representation of the

shape while defining makes it much easier and more precise to enclose the targeted

volume.


41/58

MULTIAXIS MILLING 35

Tool InspectionTool inspection was added to many of the multiaxis toolpaths, including Blade Expert

and Port Expert. After you enter an inspection parameter, either in distance or time,


42/58


the tool will retract and trigger an inspection code at the next linking move. Your post

processor must be modified to support this new feature.

Additional Improvements Enhancements to oscillation in Curve 5-axis.

Ability to finish blades in Blade Expert with a SWARF algorithm.

Mill Tooling

Tool Creation and EditingThe old style Define Tool dialog box has been replaced with the new interface

throughout the product. This provides a more consistent user experience for creating

and editing tools. Some of the existing tool types are also updated so they no longer

require custom profiles.


43/58

MILL TOOLING 37

In preparation for future updates, the group boxes include expanders for advanced

properties.

Edit HolderThe Edit Holder interface has been updated to support additional properties. Prior to

X8, all non-geometric attributes had to be edited using the stand-alone Tool Manager.

With the X8 release, you can edit properties such as the upper and lower connection

type and size from within Mastercam.

The right-click menu in the Mastercam Tool Manager includes a new Edit Holder

option. Selecting this option displays the edit holder interface.

Collapsed state Expanded state


44/58


The Edit Holder option is still available in the Holder parameters page for tree-style

toolpath dialogs, but making it available in the Mastercam Tool Manager is useful

when working with older toolpath types that do not offer the Holder page.

In addition, the .TOOLDB format is now the standard for holder libraries. This replacesthe .HOLDERS file format.

Edit Assembly NamesChanging tool, holder, and assembly names is now available through a right-click

menu option in the Mill operation tool parameters page.


45/58

MILL TOOLING 39

The Assembly Name field has also been added to the Holder page for convenience.


46/58


Calculate Feeds and SpeedsThe calculate feed/speed button has been added to the Create and Edit tool dialog

boxes. This option is useful when you are working on tools inside of Mastercam

because it can query the workpiece material of the active machine group.


47/58

PRODUCTIVITY+ ENHANCEMENTS 41

Standalone Tool ManagerGeometry properties have been removed from the property grid and replaced with a

button that will launch the Edit Tool dialog box. You can also double-click on an item

in the data grid to edit the tool.

Productivity+ Enhancements Update to Renishaw Productivity+ Version 2.0.

Support for extended character languages.

Added graphic selection for Calibration Point position.

Probe posting dialog box now resizable.


48/58


Updated Configuration Tool now includes kinematics configuration interface.


49/58

Lathe Enhancements

Lathe Stock Model Support Lathe toolpaths can now be included in stock model operations, which can be used for

subsequent milling operations.


50/58

44 MASTERCAM X8/ Lathe Enhancements

New Contour Roughing ToolpathThis new roughing toolpath is designed to take passes parallel to chained geometry.

This toolpath is useful for parts where the initial stock shape is similar to the final part

shape.

Additional Improvements

Added Incremental Depth Cuts to Lathe Rough toolpath that allowincremented and decremented depth cuts.

Disable the Tool Display option to see significant processing speed

improvements for Dynamic Lathe and other toolpaths.

Lathe stock, tailstock, and steady rest are now associated with any solid body

used to define them.

New upper and lower profile options in Create Boundary are very helpful for

Lathe users.


51/58

Mill-Turn Enhancements

Level 1 Now AvailableThis new option for Mastercam Mill-Turn is perfect for customers with twin turret

machines and B-axis solutions that do not require surface machining or 5-axis toolpath

options.

Reference PositionsMill-Turn now includes the ability to define and select reference positions for the

approach and retract moves in operations. This provides much better control for repo-

sitioning between operations. Common reference positions are pre-defined in the

machine definition, allowing for reuse in each job. Job-specific reference positions are

also easily defined through a dialog accessed from the Toolpaths Manager.


52/58

46 MASTERCAM X8/ Mill-Turn Enhancements

Selecting reference positions to use at specific times during the toolpaths occurs in

the Sync Manager. The settings are reflected in the Sync Manager graphical display

and in simulation.

Wibu LicensingMill-Turn .MACHINE files now require WIBU licenses and are secured binary files.

Third-party development of .MACHINE environments is now possible through Devel-

oper licenses.

Job Setup Enhancements Pickoff/cutoff options are now available for single pieces of stock in both left

and right spindles. Machine definition now controls the availability of


53/58

JOB SETUP ENHANCEMENTS 47

continuous bar stock options based upon settings in the chuck component

(for example, if the chuck is plugged, you cannot use bar stock).

Mill-Turn now checks the defined chuck bore diameter against the stock

diameter size. If you select aContinuous bar stock

option, error messagesappear when the stock is larger than the bore. If you select a Single pieces of

stock option, the stock must be positioned beyond the face of the chuck if

the stock diameter is larger than the bore.


54/58


Tool Loading Enhancements Tool Setup Manager now accessible from a Toolpaths Manager button.

Added ability to filter tools by Active Turret/Spindle.

Drag-and-drop ability added for placing tools on locators loaded on turrets.

Right-click menu option in operation parameter dialog now allows you to

load tool and view machine.

Added ability to load tools that are not used in operations but present in

machine. This allows for collision detecting tools that are present in the

machine turret, but not actually used in operations.

Sync Manager Enhancements Connected Stream List Display toggle added. This allows for traditional locked

scrolling and linked operation branch display versus independent control byclicking the toggle or selecting a right-click menu option.


55/58

MACHINE PROPERTY CHANGES 49

Mastercam file link indicator moved from Code Expert status bar to document

tab, which makes it easier to see the link status.

Machine Property Changes NC Output Settings now available for each machine.

Default NC Destination and Overwrite mode moved from Application Options

- used for all operations in Mill-Turn Machine Group in Toolpaths Manager,

but editable for each job in Machine Group Properties. Stream control added to allow for file name customization for each stream.

Additional Enhancements Turret Park operations have been changed to select the turret/head to move

and the destination. This change was required to support machines with

multiple turrets in the same stream.

Twin turret machines such as the Okuma LU Series, Doosan PUMA TT Series,

and others are now supported.

Added Manual Entry operation support to Mill-Turn, allowing users to enter

comments and code as needed.


56/58



57/58


58/58

Attention! Updates may be available.

Go to Mastercam.com/Support for the latest downloads.

Mastercam X8 - WhatsNew

Documents

Transcript of Mastercam X8 - WhatsNew